Speech by President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen at a celebration of the enlargement of the European Union at Finlandia Hall on 4 May 2004

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First of all I would like to present my warm congratulations to the representatives of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia and to welcome you to the European Union family.

The Community which was established in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome has been enlarged five times. Each of these has been a significant step on the road to European integration. This last enlargement is historical in a very special way, however. Although the Iron Curtain which divided Europe fell a decade and a half ago, only now can we say that the Cold War has finally been passed to history. The two island states that are joining the Union, Cyprus and Malta, strengthen the Community's Mediterranean dimension.

All in all the European Union is receiving 75 million new citizens and enlarging to a Community of 25 states and over 450 million people.

The negotiation process and the need to meet membership criteria required a lot on the part of the new member states. They have gone through a significant reform process in a relatively short time. Enlargement has also required work on the part of the old member states and the Commission. Allow me to point out, even on this special occasion, that our work is not over. Reform continues and the faster we make progress, the sooner we can benefit fully from enlargement.

And let us not forget Bulgaria and Romania, which are still negotiating membership and are expected to join on 1 January 2007 if they are ready. I would also like to express sincere encouragement in this connection.

Regarding the start of membership negotiations with the third applicant, Turkey, the intention is to reach a decision in December on the basis of the Commission's opinion and recommendation. Turkey has made progress in meeting the Copenhagen political criteria and the EU is encouraging Turkey to continue the reform process.

The countries of the Western Balkans also have their own membership prospects. Croatia submitted its application last year, and the Commission has issued its opinion on the application. Macedonia submitted its application in March.

Every European state which meets the criteria approved at the Copenhagen summit can apply for membership. Not every country will want to join the EU, regardless of whether they meet these criteria. The EU is part of Europe. We must pay special attention to good relations with our neighbours and must strive with every means to create a world of cooperation.

Integrating the new member states into the EU will also promote Europe's political stability in the Balkans and will open new possibilities for cooperation with our neighbours like Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Serbia and Montenegro and Croatia.

The elections for the European Parliament will be held in June in the Union's 25 member states. They will take place at slightly different times on 10-13 June.

The European Parliament's power has gradually been increased. Parliament has been elevated to the status of a legislator alongside the Council, and the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) is preparing provisions that would further strengthen Parliament’s position. So it is even more important for everyone to exercise their right to vote and participate in electing our common Parliament. I hope that campaigning will focus on the issues and that the member states will compete to see who can achieve the highest voter turnout.

A larger Union also means new challenges. The Union's Founding treaties are presently being revised by the Intergovernmental Conference. The goal is a stronger, more effective and more democratic Union which strives to develop its own region and to be a good cooperation partner with others.

We have been making preparations for over two years and already achieved a lot. Unfortunately a consensus could not be reached on a new constitution in the European Council last December. In March the decision was made to continue negotiations with the goal of bringing the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to a close by June of this year.

Time is short but sufficient. Successfully concluding the negotiations requires flexibility on the part of all the member states. The decisive thing is whether we can finally reach a solution that satisfies everyone in key issues concerning the balance of power - the definition of a qualified majority and the composition of the Commission. Ireland, which has done such a good job as president, needs the support of every member state to bring the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to a conclusion on schedule.

The European Union is a community of values. Human rights, democracy and the rule of law are the values which unite the Union's member states and citizens.

With a new constitutional treaty, the Union's nature as a community of values will be further strengthened. At the beginning the treaty sets out the Union's values, which are a requirement for membership. The treaty also states that the Union may accede to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Making the Charter of Fundamental Rights part of the constitutional treaty, which was approved as a political declaration by the Nice summit in 2000, is a significant step forward. It is not just an obligation but also a point of honour for the member states to take care of the same matters at the national level.

Citizens' support for membership is of primary importance. The new member states know how difficult it is to build confidence and the old member states know how hard it is to maintain confidence. The EU is not "them" but "us".

The Union must be part of citizens' everyday lives. Enlargement makes possible closer and more effective cooperation in fighting cross-border crime, trafficking in human beings and drugs, corruption and terrorism.

The Union is not just cooperation to fight negative things; it promotes and supports positive and desirable things such as improving the position of those who are disadvantaged - including women, children and minorities - and developing environmental protection.

The European Union is an important facilitator of economic cooperation. It has also more strongly than other regional organizations paid attention not just to economic growth but also to factors which create stability, such as inflation, interest rates, balanced budgets and - importantly for citizens' welfare - employment. With the Lisbon strategy we can improve Europe's competitiveness and create new jobs based on sustainable development. In this way the member states can succeed in globalization. We cannot build success on the basis of low-paid, unskilled labour. Let us achieve our objective together.

The Union is an increasingly important global actor. The member states' combined GDP amounts to a fourth of the world's total GDP. The Union's weight in trade policy is decisively large. The EU accounts for about a fourth of development aid. The Union has been a pioneer in developing international environmental policy and promoting sustainable development.

With the constitutional treaty the EU's security and defence policy will also develop in a way which strengthens solidarity between the member states. The Union's crisis management tasks will be supplemented and the Union's ability to act will be improved through resource cooperation. In foreign and security policy the Union's strength also depends on unity and equality.

The goal of the European Union is to strengthen security around the world. The Union's tools form a unique continuum which reaches from conflict prevention through diplomacy and civilian crisis management to military crisis management and the rebuilding of societies. A secure Europe's common objectives to build a better world were confirmed in the security strategy which was adopted last December.

The Union is culturally and linguistically rich - and I hope it will remain so. I would like to welcome the new members once again in their own languages.

Cyprus: Kalos ilthate, Hoş geldiniz
Czech Rep: Vítáme vás
Estonia: Tere tulemast
Hungary: Isten hozta
Latvia: Laipni lūdzu
Lithuania: Sveiki atvyke
Malta: Merhba
Poland: Witamy
Slovakia: Vitajte
Slovenia: Dobrodošli